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In her party's weekly radio address, Rep. Hilda Solis of California said Bush and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tennesse, "lack real leadership to stop extremists in their party" from thwarting immigration legislation.
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"What America saw during the last few weeks did not happen overnight," said Solis, the daughter of Mexican and Nicaraguan immigrants. "The Republican Party set out to scapegoat immigrants in order to divide voters and win elections long ago, just as they did in the past elections on issues such as gay marriage."
Solis also criticized legislation passed by the House in December that would make it a felony to help an illegal immigrant, calling it part of an "assault" on immigrants by the GOP. She said the bill would make it a crime for a priest to offer communion to an undocumented worker.
Republicans are "alienating Americans of every background" with such a punitive approach, Solis said.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/15/dems.radio.ap/index.html